Thursday, 31 January 2019
For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14
This verse is similar to verse 10:10. Placed side by side, the similarity and the contrast can be seen –
10 – By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
14 – For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Verse 10 referred to Christ’s coming to do God’s will. In that, He offered Himself, and it is through that will of God that we individually have been sanctified. Now verse 14 refers to the offering of Christ which has perfected each person, forever, of all of those people who are being sanctified, forever. In other words, it is not speaking of the individual who is sanctified, but all who are being sanctified through the one, final, and complete sacrifice of Christ. Of them, each is “perfected forever.”
This same word was used in verse 2:11 –
“For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
In verses 2:11 and 10:14, the use of the word in this way is speaking of those who are in the way of sanctification, but there is no regard to time. Whereas in verse 10, it was speaking of a time in which the individual was sanctified.
The author is using very precise words to reveal what has occurred in the one-time and for all-time sacrifice of Christ. It is His offering (a one-time event) which has perfected forever (at the moment a believer comes to Him) those who are being sanctified (meaning anyone at any time from the sacrifice forward).
Life application: This verse is another evidence for eternal salvation. As it says, “…by one offering,” meaning Jesus’ cross, “He has perfected forever,” indicating the permanence of what occurred in the believer’s life. In other words, the act of what Jesus did for the believer is completely sufficient in itself to forever perfect (and thus save) those who believe. Be confident in your salvation that it was a one-time and forever act. Yes, you will lose rewards when you slip up, but from the moment you were saved, you were saved forever.
Lord God, we can see that You have left it up to us to bear fruit or to squander the salvation which came at such a high price. And so, give our hearts the burning desire to live for You today and always. Without Your nudging, we will surely let You down. So nudge away, O great Lord! Amen.